Toe straps

[Pedrosanchezo]

I have one bike with them and the other has cleats.I prefer the cleats now.However the bike with toe clips on is handy if i am nipping to the shops cause i can wear normal shoes.Incidentally my cleats are shimanos with road cleats not mtb versions so walking is a bit difficult without knackering the cleats.Are coffee shop covers any good?

Yeh i have MTB pedals and cleats on my CX bike and they are great for just shooting up to the shops with normal trainers on. They clip in one side and are flat on the other. Imagine trying to do that with road pedals.

 

[Deleted member 1258]

I said they are dangerous if they are tightened. Meaning you can't pull your feet out quickly (if at all). You sound like you have them tightened slightly or just enough without affecting your dismount.
Having worn straps (a few years back now) whilst racing bmx, i can certainly say they help massively with control of the bike when upright. They (if tightened for better control) can be pretty sketchy if you are flying down a hill with your weight in the pedals and trying to back your feet out. I have crashed both on bmx and mountain biking using them and see clipless systems as a Godsend now. There is just no movement which is giving no power loss. Then when you come to clip out a simple twist of the heel and you are free to bail. They also come free when you go down anyway. It got to the point where i just slckened the straps right off. In return i felt i lost the full control over the pedals.

Each to their own my good man. One mans pepper is another mans salt.

When I first started using them a club mate showed me the sweet spot where they are tight enough to give good foot retention but just loose enough to slip a foot out, It was a touring club and we did a lot of rough stuff, the days before mountain bikes, being able to slip a foot out was very useful, even so when I first started using them I had one or two moments where I'd over tightened them and ended up on the floor, I bounced better in those days, these days I tend to leave them a little bit looser, still tight enough to hold my foot and keep it still, and its the odd low revs pull out I get, I've yet to pull out at high revs on the fixed.

 

[Pedrosanchezo]

When I first started using them a club mate showed me the sweet spot where they are tight enough to give good foot retention but just loose enough to slip a foot out, It was a touring club and we did a lot of rough stuff, the days before mountain bikes, being able to slip a foot out was very useful, even so when I first started using them I had one or two moments where I'd over tightened them and ended up on the floor, I bounced better in those days, these days I tend to leave them a little bit looser, still tight enough to hold my foot and keep it still, and its the odd low revs pull out I get, I've yet to pull out at high revs on the fixed.

Sound advice, though i am a clipless convert these days.
I had a nasty little moment the other day where i was riding my good bike and a car pulled into a drive way and disappeared out of sight. I was approaching around 25mph though i started to slow down as i had a funny feeling that he didn't live there by the way he pulled in fast. Glad i did as the idiot decided to then pull a complete reverse turn back out onto the main road!! Leaving me pulling an emergency stop and only just pulling my right leg out in time to not fall flat on my face. My hand also went down to the ground. I usually don't get rocked by such things but i was 50/50 on wether to slow down or not. Could have been MUCH worse.
So yeh my pedals worked but only just. About 3 milliseconds from hitting the bars off the tarmac and tears.

​

​

 

[youngoldbloke]

'When I were a lad' we used clips, straps AND shoe plates. (Also called cleats). These were nailed onto the leather sole of the shoe and the slot on the plate located on the back edge of the pedal cage, or in my case on a raised ridge of metal on the rear of the Lyotard platform pedal. You reached down to tighten your straps, and when tight your foot did not come out. You also had to reach down to flick the quick release on the strap when needing to take your foot out. It soon became automatic. Clipless pedals - easy-peasy.
*Really interesting: pedal museum

 

[Deleted member 1258]

Sound advice, though i am a clipless convert these days.
I had a nasty little moment the other day where i was riding my good bike and a car pulled into a drive way and disappeared out of sight. I was approaching around 25mph though i started to slow down as i had a funny feeling that he didn't live there by the way he pulled in fast. Glad i did as the idiot decided to then pull a complete reverse turn back out onto the main road!! Leaving me pulling an emergency stop and only just pulling my right leg out in time to not fall flat on my face. My hand also went down to the ground. I usually don't get rocked by such things but i was 50/50 on wether to slow down or not. Could have been MUCH worse.
So yeh my pedals worked but only just. About 3 milliseconds from hitting the bars off the tarmac and tears.

​

​

I must admit I've never been a fan of clipless, I first tried SPD's several years ago and couldn't get on with them, after a summer I went back to toeclips. When I brought my Verenti I decided to try again and brought a pair of time free rides, I've been using them for two years now but though I'm happy using them I'm still no fan.
I had an incident yesterday, its rare for me to have an incident, I was riding into Warwick heading for the Myton Hospice to take part in their charity cycle ride and I was driven at by a car driver, he was coming towards me and swung right over onto the wrong side of the road driving straight at me before swinging back on his side of the road at the last minute, I suspect he was objecting to me being on the road instead of the cycle path, at a quarter to eight on a Sunday morning he took me totally by surprise.

 

[Davidc]

Totally agree with Dave r. I was shown how to find the sweet spot by one of the Holdsworth Campagnolo team 40 years ago, and having used clipless last year I agree that there's little in it.

I injured my knee last year and after some investigation the conclusion was that it was clipless pedals that caused it. My feet are naturally at a greater angle from straight forward than the range of adjustment of SPD so my knee was working with a twist all the time. Clips can accommodate the angle. I won't be using clipless again. I can however see that for XC clipless would be useful.

 

[Pedrosanchezo]

I must admit I've never been a fan of clipless, I first tried SPD's several years ago and couldn't get on with them, after a summer I went back to toeclips. When I brought my Verenti I decided to try again and brought a pair of time free rides, I've been using them for two years now but though I'm happy using them I'm still no fan.
I had an incident yesterday, its rare for me to have an incident, I was riding into Warwick heading for the Myton Hospice to take part in their charity cycle ride and I was driven at by a car driver, he was coming towards me and swung right over onto the wrong side of the road driving straight at me before swinging back on his side of the road at the last minute, I suspect he was objecting to me being on the road instead of the cycle path, at a quarter to eight on a Sunday morning he took me totally by surprise.

Wow, guy sounds like a loon. Problem is there are idiots in all walks of life. They just seem to go all the dafter behind the wheel of car. Some become even more infuriated when they see that a CYCLIST has the audacity to share a road with them!!!
I find you often get some t**t shouting something out the passenger window in an attempt to make you jump out of your skin.
I, being the mild mannered chap that i am, just ignore them. My middle finger never seems to though.

 

[Pedrosanchezo]

Totally agree with Dave r. I was shown how to find the sweet spot by one of the Holdsworth Campagnolo team 40 years ago, and having used clipless last year I agree that there's little in it.

I injured my knee last year and after some investigation the conclusion was that it was clipless pedals that caused it. My feet are naturally at a greater angle from straight forward than the range of adjustment of SPD so my knee was working with a twist all the time. Clips can accommodate the angle. I won't be using clipless again. I can however see that for XC clipless would be useful.

Sorry to hear about the knee.
Depending on the clipless pedal you use, you can adjust the amount of movement your foot is allowed. For example i use Look Keo Carbons on my road bike. I use the black (no movement) cleats and find them great for my style. The grey allows 5mm play and the red even more. Both though are adjustable.
I make sure and have my feet point exactly the way i walk and run too. I am slightly ticky toed. My feet point in the way a bit so i adjust the cleats to suit. Have had no knee problems with the Look pedals or the Shimano Mtb clipless system on my cross. There is a bit more play on the shimano set up but that's fine for the purpose.

 

[Deleted member 1258]

Wow, guy sounds like a loon. Problem is there are idiots in all walks of life. They just seem to go all the dafter behind the wheel of car. Some become even more infuriated when they see that a CYCLIST has the audacity to share a road with them!!!
I find you often get some t**t shouting something out the passenger window in an attempt to make you jump out of your skin.
I, being the mild mannered chap that i am, just ignore them. My middle finger never seems to though.

If he hadn't taken me by surprise, I only saw three cars on the whole length of that road, I'd have taken his number and reported him. Any way he didn't spoil the day, with doing the 60 mile charity ride and travelling to and from the event I did 90 miles and had an excellent day.

 

[annaspanna]

Apparently Shimano are just releasing the click'r pedals which are much looser than normal SPDs and are ideal for those of us who aren't really serious riders. Price is abt £34.99 but I haven't seen any instore yet.

 

[redste]

I've just got a new bike and it's my 1st time with toe straps. The problem I've found is getting the pedals in the right position to get my feet back in them when setting off.
Any tips? Or is it just a case of practice practice practice?

 

[HLaB]

I've just got a new bike and it's my 1st time with toe straps. The problem I've found is getting the pedals in the right position to get my feet back in them when setting off.
Any tips? Or is it just a case of practice practice practice?

It was practice for me and you soon get in the practice of scraping your foot back along the pedal to flip it and moving your foot forward into the clip; somebody described it as scraping sh!t of your shoe, as disgusting as it seems that a pretty apt description.

 

[Deleted member 1258]

I've just got a new bike and it's my 1st time with toe straps. The problem I've found is getting the pedals in the right position to get my feet back in them when setting off.
Any tips? Or is it just a case of practice practice practice?

yes its just practise, find somewhere you can sit on the bike and lean against something and then practice getting your foot in and out, remember you only need to put one foot down most of the time, and the strap can be adjusted so its only just tight, that way you can put your foot in and pull it out without constantly tightening and loosening the straps.

 

[Dave Carey]

Hi, I am new! Just joined today after picking up my new bike yesterday, a Carerra Subway Hybrid. Its been a while in fact never ... since I had such a nice bike, but it has come with toe straps. Now, I am not sure if these are a good idea or not? Especially as the bike is new to me, any advice please. Hope it stops raining here tomorrow!

I have exactly the same issue. I seem comfortable riding with my feet strapped and getting them out but putting my feet in from standing quickly (traffic lights) may need a bit of practice. Think I might try taking off the straps and just using the toe clips to start with.